Written by Roxanne Louise. Feel free to circulate.
Next Meeting, Sunday, March 21 at 2:30 PM at the Nelson County Library 2:30 – 4:30 PM. Free and open to all.
8521 Thomas Nelson Highway (Route 29 Southbound), Lovingston, VA 22949-0321 (above Visitor’s Center and just past light at Food Lion Shopping Center). Please RSVP. Call 434-361-1969 or email Roxanne at roxannelouise@verizon.net. If you wonder if we are canceling due to any weather, there will be message on my machine (and I would be home to take your call). Bringing snacks to share is appreciated! .
Agenda Now Being Planned Call/email if you have ideas to add.
Many of the things we have already talked about or have relayed through this newsletter need follow-up.
We also could use more show and tell.
We also can address the mental/emotional/spiritual aspects of preparing for uncertain times.
And we can and should address how we can help our neighbors and community to prepare.
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1. Long-time camper Clay Moldenhauer will talk about bug-out bag/s — things to have already packed in case of disaster situation. Some of his items may interest you, for example, steel wool to start fire. If you were stuck in this winter’s snow or flooding, it might be prudent to carry supplies in your car, keep in your workplace. Katrina shows us that having a bug-out bag is helpful at home as well.
2. Preparing for the Future – discussion led by some of our members, but open to all.
What have you done, what are you doing to prepare for the future for yourself, for your family, and for your community? What do you think is important/not important?
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Preparation for the Future includes
a. REDUNDANT SYSTEMS (multiple ways to accomplish the same thing),
b. COMPLETE SYSTEMS (all the parts),
c. EASILY ACCESSIBLE ITEMS YOU KNOW HOW TO USE (in the dark without a manual when you are stressed out),
d. PARTS of things most likely to go bad.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:
This winter has given many of us awareness into our vulnerable dependence on power, technology, etc.–practice drills for disaster awareness. Today at dusk the electric went out again (happens several times/year). I was just about to put a load of wash into the dryer. Now that was out. I do have a clothes line, so if there was no power by morning, the clothes would have gone outside or I would have rigged some clothes tree in front of the stove. Colonial homes had clothes lines in the attic. In the Northeast where basements are the rule, we had them in the basements.
I continued to have heat in the Great Room because I had installed a Jotul propane hearth stove last fall. It does not require electricity to run, and, fortunately, the outside temperature was above freezing. However, the backup propane wall unit to the heat pump in the addition requires electricity or a battery unit that I still haven’t located. I had a couple of gallon jugs of water filled (I learned from last month’s outage when I found myself with no stored water), so the animals and I were o.k. And I have been practicing reusing grey water for the toilet, so I could have even flushed. I could cook because I had swapped out the electric stove for a propane one years ago. I had candles and a flashlight, but the candles were irritating my eyes and the scent bothered my nose. Somewhere I have lamp oil and a couple of lamps but where?And how to use it since it has been so long? Sure wasn’t going to find them with just a flashlight. And how to use them since it has been so long since I did? Having cats in the house made me very nervous using open flames for lighting. While I have looked into generators, I don’t have one yet.
Not being able to read by candlelight, I thought I would drive and find some place open with electricity. But I had neglected to refill my tank, and now I was low on fuel. Three gas stations within 6 miles were all shut down because their power was out too. No electric? No gas pumps. So rather than get stuck, I turned around and came home. Luckily, a few hours later, power came back on. Not so with many others in the Northeast. In Jersey power was out for 6-7 hours today, and about that long for the last storm. New England was out longer.
During the last big snow storm here, a friend in Northern VA was out for of power for a few days. She had a fireplace but NO WOOD. Her sister in Jersey lost her furnace. She had a wood stove and a fireplace, but was up night after night to feed the logs. It took took several service calls over several days until the new furnace was delivered, installed and working properly.
Last month when my drive was a foot of snow, I ran out of propane (went through 380 gallons fast in the frigid weather). But because I had an electric hot pot, coffee pot, toaster oven so I could eat until the propane company could get up my drive.
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Policy: I have been asked to share my email list with someone else who does in fact interesting things to share; however, I feel I cannot do that. But, if anyone wants distribute literature, bring it and put it out on a table. You can put out a sign-up list for those interested in what you might have to offer. If you have interesting articles/info to share that is relevant to our group, either bring up at a meeting or send to me for possible inclusion in the newsletter.
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VIRGINIA POLITICS:
Ken White of the Virginia Taxpayers Association spoke briefly at our last meeting, but some important information was not presented so I interviewed him by phone. Here it is:
1. What is the Virginia Taxpayers Association?
It was started as a federation of local taxpayers associations 37 years go to protest tax increases based upon reassessments at that time. However, national political interests were incorporated at the outset. Some of these groups have dropped out, and meetings have stopped, but email and about 1000 printed mailed announcements about important legislature action continues to interested parties and to media stations and VA elected officials.
2. You mentioned attending certain government meetings such as Nelson County Board of Supervisors. When/where are they held? Can anyone attend? Do you know the agenda in advance? Can you bring up your own local concerns at the meeting? Is there any protocol?
The Nelson County Board of Supervisors (http://nelsoncounty.com/boardofsupervisors) meets at 2 PM and again in the evening at either 7 PM on the Second Tuesday and also the Fourth Thursday of each month: evening session only at 7:00 pmi n the Board Room located in the Nelson County Courthouse in Lovingston, VA.; November and December have been cancelled There is time allowed for public comment in the beginning of the meeting. Comments need to be kept to 3 minutes. Bring a printed statement and any other supporting documents as handouts for your views to get into the minutes. The meeting agenda is announced the Thursday before in the Nelson County Times under Legal Announcements.
3. What about attending other government meetings?
For State Committee meetings, go to the General Assembly webpage http://legis.state.va.us. General public can attend. Have a prepared satement and a supply of sufficient copies to pass out to legislators.
4. You also mentioned getting on certain media stations. Was this just talk radio? What stations? Do you have call-in numbers, times, etc?
Brian Wegan and Mary White cover local news, mornings between 6-10 AM on WLNI, 105.9 FM in Lynchburg (434)846-8255). This covers the southern part of Nelson County.
Charlottesville, WINA, 1070 AM(434-977-1070) gets Albemarle and part of Nelson. Rob Shilling has a local talk show from noon to 2 PM, Monday to Friday. You can also listen online at http://www.wina.com/The-Schilling-Show/3063561. Express yourself on Rob’s 24 hour voicemail comment line: (434) 220-2349
Visit The Schilling Show website at: www.schillingshow.com.
CSPAN, Washington Journal has a program 7-10 AM, 7 days/week, and you can call in with comments.
5. What about other news outlets, newspapers, t.v. stations?
While Ken has not had success with the Nelson County Times, you can write letters to the Editor to any newspaper. Make letters short and to the point, no more than 300 works.
6. What are the most credible news sources, in your opinion?
Alex Jones (http://www.infowars.com, also http://www.prisonplanet.com), Republic Broadcasting (http://republicbroadcasting.org), Drudge Report (http://www.drudgereport.com). For info about the Drudge Report see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drudge_Report.
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8. The Single Most Important Thing To Prevent Tooth Decay Rami Nagel, author of Cure Tooth Decay and Healing Our Children
from: http://www.cheeseslave.com/2010/01/27/how-to-cure-tooth-decay-with-rami-nagel
“… there was a study in New Zealand where they took two groups of girls and gave them the exact same diet, only one group they gave cod liver oil. The group getting the cod liver oil had a 40% reduction in cavities. That comes from Dr. Weston Prices book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. You can read about it here in chapter 16 of the online book. This is the excerpt:
The diet of both their control group and tested group was the same except for one item, i.e., one heaped teaspoonful twice daily of malt and cod liver oil. In a group of sixty-six native girls the thirty-three with the best teeth were used as a control group. The remaining thirty-three were given the additional fat-soluble vitamins. In six months time, resistance of this group was raised by 41.75 percent as compared with the control group.
… the most important thing to do to prevent tooth decay. He said we must limit anti-nutrients. Anti-nutrients such as phytic acid or oxalic acid are found in raw seeds, beans, nuts, grains and vegetables. Soaking and sprouting nuts, seeds, legumes and grains will reduce phytic acid but not very much only somewhere between 10-30%. So even if you are carefully germinating (sprouting) and soaking and using sourdough and other methods to ferment your grains and soaking your beans, they still do contain the anti-nutrients which block mineral absorption and chelate them from the body. It is therefore important to eat nutrient-dense foods but also to limit foods that contain anti-nutrients, even if they are properly prepared. Rami stressed that it is extremely important to reduce anti-nutients in the diet. Even anti-nutrients in vegetables. Vegetables need to be cooked or properly fermented.He said that just 25 mg of phytic acid will block 50% of your iron intake. Phytic acid also blocks zinc, copper and other minerals.
Rami said, the more grains, nuts and seeds you eat, the more careful you have to be. He also said that you need the enzyme, phytase, in order to take out phytate. Nuts, beans and seeds have little or no phytase. Oats, as well, have no phytase. This is why it is recommended to add a little freshly ground whole wheat flour to oats when soaking overnight. You must have phytase in order to break down phytates.
Foods With the Most Phytates: Nuts and Seeds
In the interview, Rami told me that peanuts are as bad as soybeans when it comes to phytic acid content. He said that nuts are extremely high in phytic acid. He said that he thinks peanut butter that has not been soaked and sprouted is a garbage food….seeds are the absolute worst. …Sesame seeds have double or triple the phytic acid that soy has. Raw nuts are very bad and full of toxic anti-nutrients. Rami said that even cooked nuts will cause seizures in dogs. He told me the story of a woman who called him. Her one-year-old was was having seizures. It turned out the woman was eating raw almond butter and breastfeeding her baby that was what was causing the baby to have seizures. Sesame seed oil doesnt have phytic acid. However, …most brands of seed oil are not healthy because of the way they are pressed and processed with high pressure..
Oats: Not Safe to Eat
…modern oats are not germinated and .. heat treated, ..he does not believe that oats are safe to eat. He said he believes oats are the equivalent of pasteurized milk. He said that traditionally the people in Scotland Dr. Weston Price studied who ate a lot of oats (50% of their diet) actually germinated the oats first, then they soaked and soured them for a long time for a number of days. The oats they ate were sour… this doesnt mean you cant eat soaked oatmeal on occasion, but if you or your children suffer from dental decay (or for the elderly suffering from bone loss), even soaked oatmeal should be strictly avoided.
Rye Sourdough Bread
..the people Dr. Weston Price studied in the Swiss Alps Recipe from Swiss/French Alps also ate 50% of their diet as grains. These people in Switzerland ate rye bread. They went to elaborate lengths lessen the anti-nutrients. They first germinated the rye, then they sifted it to remove about 20-25% of the bran. Then they would ferment it using sourdough. Rami said rye is the most easily fermentable grain….wheat and rye are high-phosphorous foods and for this reason it is important to eat them with calcium-rich foods. …Swiss always ate their rye bread with dairy. He …fermented dairy is especially good like cheese or yogurt. He said if people really want to eat bread, they should eat a rye bread soaked/fermented with sourdough for a minimum of 16 hours.
Other Traditionally Prepared Grains, Nuts, Legumes & Seeds
Rami said that people eating traditional diets around the world go to great lengths to properly germinate, sprout, soak, and ferment their nuts, grains, legumes and seeds. He said people in China eat a soured rice, and they make noodles that are soured and very easy to digest….people in India eating dosas.. soured pancakes made from de-husked black lentils and rice which are ground and then soured or fermented. People in India also eat idlis, which is a savory cake. The idlis are similar to dosas, made by steaming a batter consisting of de-husked black lentils and rice which are fermented. Beans are a staple food in Nigeria. The Nigerians go through extreme measures, like cooking for 24 hours, to make beans edible. Beans are very high in phytic acid.
Anti-Nutrients in Chocolate, Coffee & Tea
…chocolate is very high in phytic acid. Chocolate is made from a seed! Raw chocolate is very high in oxalic acid and leaches calcium from the body. Coffee, too, is a seed. It is also rich in oxalic acid, as is tea.
Vitamin C
Rami said that vitamin C blocks the effects of phytic acid. He said that there are only in trace amounts of vitamin C in liver. Vitamin C is one of the only vitamins not in liver.He said that in many traditional cultures they go to great lengths to eat foods that are rich in vitamin C. In Australia they eat a certain kind of plum which is very high in vitamin C. Native Americans ate rose hips. In India and Latin America, they eat tamarind which is very high in vitamin C. Sauerkraut is also an excellent source of vitamin C.
Want to Learn More?
go to Ramis website, Cure Tooth Decay and buy his book.
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More on TIME BANKING with Stephanie Rearick – Jan 2010, interviewed at Conscious Media Network http://www.consciousmedianetwork.com/members/srearick.htm
Time Banking is helping to address the money system that, she feels is destroying society. It is helping in the prison system as well in interesting, positive ways by making teens feel that they have some stake in the community.
“We caught up with musician Stephanie Rearick at the Praxis Peace Institute’s Peace Conference in Sonoma, California and talked to her about the practical aspects of Time Banking – a system that she is involved with in Dane County. Time banking is one hour of time for one hour of time, no matter what your skill or profession and is based on a philosophy that our communities work better when all of our contributions are valued. It rejects the notion that we belong in separate classes of ‘givers’ and ‘receivers’ and establishes a way to value and reward all types of work — caring for our children, elders, and others who need it, building community, helping out our neighbors.
Stephanie is part of the Dane County Time Bank (located at http://www.danecountytimebank.org/), a network of individuals and organizations in Dane County working to increase efficiency, opportunity and resource sharing through mutually beneficial exchange — building community ties and community self-sufficiency.
When you need something like minor home repair, child care, companionship, an exercise buddy, whatever — look on Community Weaver and contact a member directly, or call the Timebank coordinator and ask. The coordinator will set you up with a neighbor, who has had an interview and basic background check like every other Timebank member, who can help you. After the neighbor helps you they or the coordinator deduct one Time Dollar per hour of service from your account and adds the same number of Time Dollars to your neighbor’s account. You can earn back the credit by helping anyone else in the network. You can also accumulate a few debits before you need to pay them back. It’s easy to ask for help when you need it!
As another example. the Echo Park Time Bank is a collective whose purpose is to facilitate the cooperative exchange of goods and services among its members. It is a pay it forward system that connects unmet needs with untapped resources. For every hour you help another member, you earn a Time Dollar. Then you can use that Time Dollar to have a neighbor help you: getting a ride, learning the computer, getting a haircut, gardening, etc. Time Dollars value everyones contributions equally. One hour equals one time dollar. Time banking can help people to save money, create new friendships and develop new habits as consumers. We can empower each other by sharing the wealth of resources in our community, and by creating a network based on trust.
To learn more about Stephanie, listen to her music and learn more about her projects, go to www.stephanierearick.com“
From Regina’s blog “When Cash is no longer King” (http://consciousmedianetwork.blogspot.com/2009/10/when-cash-is-no-longer-king.html)
“…I was interviewing Tom Greco, an author on cashless systems, … End of Money: Future of Civilization…
The stark truth is that the one factor that keeps most human beings at the bottom tier of Maslows Hierarchy of Needs is a scarcity of money in our lives. This lack keeps us in fear and working simply for our survival. This is not what it means to be human. We are innately creative beings with a need to express beauty, kindness, generosity and love, only were too tired to do it most of the time. But what happens if money goes away, at least money as we know it?
… We simply have to commit some of our time and creativity and we can begin building the foundations of peaceful and abundant communities in which every one of us who is capable can use our talents, skills and passions to contribute to the whole in such a way that we rebuild sustainable communities rich in diversity of self expression and activities. After all, since when have most of us directly supported the work of poets, artists, bards and philosophers? Yet, how much richer would their work make the community if it were equally honored alongside the grocer, doctor and dentist?
…Ghandi was about non-cooperation. We dont have to buy cheap imports. We dont have to eat toxic food. We dont have to watch, read nor listen to bad media. We dont have to use credit, nor bank with entites who care nothing about us. We ARE going to have to get off our butts and start making clear choices as to how we want to experience our future…”
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LOCAL CURRENCIES happening in 75 US communities, designed to keep money in the community, helps to build stronger communities by utilizing local skills/resources. Interest free money. Understand that US dollars come from the Federal Reserve Bank, privately owned, for which we pay interest. Having local currencies are also a hedge against the dollar collapse.
I am most grateful for Leonard Orr’s talk on alternative currency, but still have not put together all of my notes from that presentation. Nonetheless, here is some more information on alternative currencies.
E. F. Schumaker Society, http://www.smallisbeautiful.org/about.html
Founded in 1980 the mission of the Schumacher Society is to promote the building of strong local economies that link people, land, and community. To accomplish this we develop model programs, including local currencies, community land trusts, and micro-lending; host lectures and other educational events; publish papers; and maintain a library to engage scholars and inspire citizen-activists. Has a wealth of info on local currencies, local help for businesses, and resources. BerkShares based upon their principles.
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Article: Local Currencies: Catalysts for Sustainable Regional Economies by Robert Swann and Susan Witt,
February 1995, See http://www.smallisbeautiful.org/publications/essay_currency.html
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Some local US Currency Groups: http://www.smallisbeautiful.org/local_currencies/currency_groups.html
CALIFORNIA
Humboldt Exchange
Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap
P.O. Box 858
Eureka, CA 95502
info@humboldtexchange.org
http://www.humboldtexchange.org
First issue: January 2003
Currency: “Humboldt Community Currency” is a paper local currency in Eureka. Individual participants agree to accept half payment for their goods and services in a local currency made just for Humboldt. Many local businesses also accept Community Currency.
Participation: 67 businesses.
Information updated March 26, 2009
MASSACHUSETTS
BerkShares
BerkShares, Inc.
Asa Hardcastle, President of board
Susan Witt, Administrator
P.O. Box 125
Great Barrington, MA 01230
(413) 528-1737
info@berkshares.org
http://www.berkshares.org
First issue: September 29, 2006
Currency: BerkShares are a paper currency printed in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20, and 50 and are traded in the southern Berkshire region of Massachusetts. They are distributed by local banks and are backed by federal dollars. They are purchased at $0.95 per BerkShare from the bank, spent at a value of $1 per BerkShare with participating individuals or businesses, and traded back for federal currency at $0.95 per BerkShare, providing a financial incentive for both individuals to get and spend them in the first place and for someone who has recieved BerkShares in a transaction to spend them again rather than return them for federal currency.
Participation: Approximately 350 regional businesses are formally participating and an additional 200 accept BerkShares on occassion. A total of 2.3 million BerkShares have been issued through 12 branches of five local banks since the program’s launch. Approximately 180,000 BerkShares are currently in circulation.
Information updated January 2009.
MICHIGAN
Bay Bucks
Stephanie Mills, President
Bill Palladino, Vice President
P.O. Box 1951
Traverse City, MI 49685-1951(231)995-9680
www.baybucks.org
info@baybucks.org
1st issue: November 7, 2005. $300 limited edition issue at the Great
Lakes Bioneers Conference in Traverse City on October 14-16th 2005.
Currency: Bay Bucks are paper scrip tied to the dollar, in denominations of BB1, BB5, BB10 and BB20. Approximately $13,000 disbursed as of January 1, 2007. Six Membership levels (individual, nonprofit, government, biz I, II & III) are available, with Membership fees range from $20 to $150. All members but individuals receive 2:1 Bay Bucks.
Participation: Bay Bucks has 125 members, including 95 businesses.
Outreach: Bay Bucks has a quarterly newsletter, and is hoping to fund a part-time outreach director.
Background: Bay Bucks are a project of the Traverse Area Community Currency Corporation, a non profit created for the purpose of providing trustworthy tools for local exchange. A team of volunteers worked for four years before seeing the first bill come off the press.
Information last updated March 9, 2007
Detroit Cheers
www.detroitscrip.org
info@detroitscrip.org
First Issue: April 2009
Currency: There are two levels to the variety of retail participants. One, are those who simply accept Cheers as currency on a one to one with the US Dollar. The 3 Cheers note is worth 3 dollars; and change will be issued in us currency for purchases made with Cheers when the cost of the item is less. The second are those who issue the currency and are identified on the tail side of the bill. The commitment of those who issue is that they will always keep in cash reserve the amount of their issue. Confidence in the notes are equal to the trust you have in the people behind them. The notes are expensive to produce and are as real as money, please do not treat them as paper, do not take them if you are not going to spend them. A list of participating retailers is available online and at participating locations.
Participation: www.detroitscrip.org/Retailer%20Locations.htm
Information last updated July 2009
NEW YORK
Brooklyn Torch
committee@brooklyntorch.org
www.brooklyntorch.org
Background: The Brooklyn Torch project is a local currency project aimed at providing Brooklynites with a tangible medium of exchange that will circulate and support the resident community. The Brooklyn Torch project will be starting in North Brooklyn and is currently in the design and organizational phase.
Information last updated August 20, 2009
Ithaca HOURS
Steve Burke
P.O. Box 6731
Ithaca, NY 14851
(607)272-3738
info@ithacahours.org
www.ithacahours.org
1st Issue: October 1991
Currency: The original Hour-based scrip, one Hour is the equivalent to $10. To date, approximately $100,000 in Ithaca Hours have been put into circulation, facilitating several million dollars worth in transactions.
Participation: Ithaca Hours has approximately 600 members (among a county population of 50,000), mostly individuals, but also large local businesses(such as food co-op, credit union, public library, hospital, bookstores, CD shop, farmer’s market, beer retailer, wine shop, bowling alley, computer store, clothing stores, health club, internet service providers, graphicdesigners, landscapers, office supplies, printers, photographers, and many restaurants and coffeehouses). Membership costs $10 annually. Benefits include a listing in the annual Directory (10,000 copies circulated county-wide throughout the year) and an annual disbursement of two Ithaca Hours.
Outreach: 5000 copies of annual directory, with 1500+ listings, web site, festivals, personal visits, media coverage. Outreach programs include a grants program to community organizations and interest-free loans to businesses.
Background: Ithaca Hours is one of oldest and largest local currency systems in the world. It is recognized and utilized as an information resource byacademics, journalists, and currency organizations worldwide.
Information last updated March 9, 2007.
NORTH CAROLINA
Piedmont Plenty
P.O. Box 1113
Pittsboro, NC 27312
(919) 533-5181
www.theplenty.org
Background: The Piedmont Local EcoNomy Tender (PLENTY) is a local currency that began circulating around the heart of the North Carolina Piedmont region in October 2002. In 2009, the currency was revamped and reissued.
Issuance: In cooperation with Pittsboros Capital Bank, anyone can exchange Federal Reserve Notes for PLENTY at a 1:1 exchange rate.
Information last updated July, 2009.
OREGON
Cascadia Hours
Portland Cascadia Hour Exchange
John Poling
P.O. Box 8608
Portland, OR 97207
(503)810-8382
1st Issue: 1994
Participation: 100+ members (professional/business/hobbyists). Each new participant is issued 5 CHE hours.
Outreach: Monthly directory for members only, 100+ listings; monthly events such as auctions; and a web site, updated almost daily, which provides a copy of the CHE Directory and calendar of events.
Background: Cascadia Hours originated as barter-club in Eugene in 1993, branches developed and have operated independently in 3 different areas, including Portland. Portland acts as a cooperative, and has developed and expanded with no Federal Reserve cash budget.
Corvallis HOUR Exchange
Christina Calkins, Program Coordinator
P.O. Box 1534
Corvallis, OR 97339
(541)753-0595
www.hourexchange.org
hourexchange@peak.org
Press about Corvallis HOUR Exchange
1st issue: May 2002
2nd issue: May 2004
Currency: HOURS come in four denominations: 1 HOUR = $10, 1/2 HOUR = $5,
1/4 HOUR = $2.5, 1/8 HOUR = $1.25. Over 1,122 HOURS are in circulation as
of Spring 2007. Each member is issued two HOURS for listing (in a quarterly
newspaper directory), plus one HOURS for an annual renewal.
Participation: HOUR Exchange has 110 members, including 10 storefront businesses, 19 home businesses, and 6 farms.
Outreach: HOUR Exchange holds quarterly potluck gatherings and events and
uses word of mouth and media coverage to spread the word.
Background: The HOUR Exchange is an Oregon Non-profit organization
operated by a member elected Board of Trustees.
Information last updated March 12, 2007
Gorge Local Currency Cooperative (GLCC)
Theresa North, Steering Committee
993 Tucker Road, Suite A
Hood River, OR 97031
http://www.riverhours.org
info@riverhours.org
(541) 386-4074
1st Issue: September 2004
Currency: RiverHOURS are primarily based on the Ithaca Hours system, and have three denominations: 1 HOUR = $10, 1/2 HOUR = $5, 1/10 HOUR = $1. The GLCC chose the Hours system for its local currency to emphasize the value of a persons time. The GLCC focuses on the Columbia River Gorge region within a 35-mile radius from the center of the Hood River (Oregon) bridge. It contains portions of five counties in two states.
Outreach: The GLCC provides informational presentations for interested community groups and booths at numerous community festivals. Hispanic outreach is a top priority. There have already been articles in several local media outlets, both print and broadcast. In 2005 GLCC published its first trade directory with listings of all paid members.
Background: RiverHOURS began in fits and starts in 2001, and finally became a group dedicated enough to meet week after week and hammer out all the details beginning in August, 2003. By the spring of 2004, the GLCC had written and adopted its bylaws and began soliciting members of the community to participate. RiverHOURS will be officially launched as soon as the GLCC reaches at least 100 members. The GLCC’s mission statement is, “The Gorge Local Currency Cooperative (GLCC) seeks to create and sustain a local currency system in order to build community, promote regional economic independence, support local business and trade, encourage entrepreneurship, honor diversity and enhance the local minimum wage in the Mid-Columbia region.”
PENNSYLVANIA
Equal Dollars
Deneene Brockington
Resources for Human Development, Inc.
4700 Wissahickon Avenue, Suite 126
Philadelphia, PA 19144
(215)951-0300
deneene@rhd.org
www.equaldollars.org
Equal Dollars on NPR
1st Issue: October 1996
Currency: Equal Dollars are issued on par with federal dollars. To date 96,400 Equal Dollars have been issued by the program.
Participation: 864 members, 298 businesses.
Outreach: Equal Dollars’ outreach includes a quarterly newsletter with 2,400 listings, membership cards, participating in Flea Markets, and operating a Tool Rental Center and Micro-Loan Fund.
Background: Equal Dollars was started by $78 million non-profit Resources for Human Development, Inc., which maintains 150 diverse human service programs. To date, more than $100,000 has been put toward this currency (mostly discretionary funds of Resources, with some foundation, corporate, and anonymous donor funding). Funds have supported a full-time project director, technical and financial counselors, business development training, marketing materials, etc. Equal Dollars is currently applying for state money and hoping to expand to 5000 members. It utilizes both scrip and checking systems.
Information last updated 02/09.
WISCONSIN
Madison Hours
Jon Hain
1202 Williamson Street
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 259-9050
postmaster@madisonhours.org
www.madisonhours.org
1st Issue: May 6,1996
Currency: One Hour is equivalent to $10 federal dollars. Currency is issued in denominations of 1/4, 1/2, and 1 Hours. To date the program has issued 3600 Hours.
Participation: Current membership of Madison Hours Cooperative is roughly
120, including 35 business members.
Outreach: The Hour Community Newspaper, is distributed quarterly throughout community, each featuring around 500 listings. Members can make listings in the newsletter and on the website. Madison Hours also sponsors a monthly potluck and a monthly pancake breakfast fund raiser.
Background: The Madison Hour planning committee received excellent media
coverage and was initially overwhelmed with press response. Originally fiscally funded by Housing Co-op, it is currently supported mainly by grants, ongoing fund raising, membership fees and directory advertisement. They have started offering web hosting to their members as another source of income. Madison Hours is incorporated as co-operative, broad-based group administration.
Information last updated March 9, 2007
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BerkShares, in Great Barrington, MA gives 5% discount
VIDEO: one of many on this very successful group: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Efssociety#p/u/5/HpJHsnFBmpg
What are BerkShares?
BerkShares are a local currency for the Berkshire region. Dubbed a “great economic experiment” by the New York Times, BerkShares are a tool for community empowerment, enabling merchants and consumers to plant the seeds for an alternative economic future for their communities. Launched in the fall of 2006, BerkShares had a robust initiation, with over one million BerkShares having been circulated in the first nine months and over two million to date. Currently, more than three hundred and sixty businesses have signed up to accept the currency. Five different banks have partnered with BerkShares, with a total of thirteen branch offices now serving as exchange stations. For BerkShares, this is only the beginning. Future plans could involve BerkShare checking accounts, electronic transfer of funds, ATM machines, and even a loan program to facilitate the creation of new, local businesses manufacturing more of the goods that are used locall
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The purpose of BerkShares is to function on a local scale the same way that national currencies have functioned on a national scalebuilding the local economy by maximizing circulation of trade within a defined region. Widely used in the early 1900s, local currencies are again being recognized as a tool for sustainable economic development. The currency distinguishes the local businesses that accept the currency from those that do not, building stronger relationships and a greater affinity between the business community and the citizens of a particular place.
The people who choose to use the currency make a conscious commitment to buy local first. They are taking personal responsibility for the health and well-being of their community by laying the foundation of a truly vibrant, thriving local economy.
BerkShares will not, and are not intended to, replace federal currency. Their use will help strengthen the regional economy, favoring locally owned enterprises, local manufacturing, and local jobs, and reducing the region’s dependence on an unpredictable global economy.
How are BerkShares placed in circulation?
BerkShares are placed in circulation when citizens exchange federal dollars for BerkShares at any of the BerkShares Exchange Banks (see list below). Some restrictions may apply.
Citizens may exchange federal dollars for BerkShares at any of the BerkShare Exchange Banks during normal bank hours (some restrictions may apply):
A number of local banks accept Berkshares, which greatly enhances their value.
The exchange rate is ninety-five cents per BerkShare. Ninety-five federal dollars will yield one hundred BerkShares. BerkShares are printed in 1, 5, 10, 20, and 50 denominations of BerkShares.
Federal dollars remain on deposit at the BerkShare Exchange Banks to redeem excess BerkShares at a five percent discount. 100 BerkShares would be exchanged for ninety -five federal dollars.
How does the 5% discount work? Where does that 5% go?
The five percent discount is part of the exchange rate, not a discount given at the point-of-sale. That 5% doesn’t “go” anywhere – no one is making a percentage on BerkShares transactions. To explain more clearly, let’s follow 100 BerkShares through a common transaction:
One day, you decide to go out for a nice dinner. You go to the bank to purchase BerkShares to spend at a local restaurant. You go in with 95 federal dollars and exchange them for 100 BerkShares. You go to dinner, and the total cost comes to $100. The restaurant accepts BerkShares in full, so you pay entirely in BerkShares. Therefore, you’ve spent 95 federal dollars and received a $100 meal – a five percent discount for you. The owner of the restaurant now has 100 BerkShares. They decide that they need to deposit them for federal dollars and return them to the bank. When they bring them to the bank, the banker deposits the 100 BerkShares you spent on dinner and gives the restaurant $95 federal dollars, the same 95 dollars that you had originally exchanged for BerkShares. The end result? You receive a five percent discount because of the initial exchange, but the same $95 you originally traded for BerkShares all goes to the business where you spent those BerkShares.
BerkShares Accepted Here!
Citizens with BerkShares in hand will look for the “BerkShares Accepted Here” sign in store windows or can browse the BerkShares Directory. BerkShares are accepted at face value for goods and services10 Berkshares for a $10 purchase, though some restrictions may apply. Every business listed in the BerkShares Directory and displaying the BerkShares sign commits to taking full or partial payment for its goods or services in BerkShares. Most listed businesses accept BerkShares for the full value of an item, but some find they cannot and so it is important to ask about store policy before making a purchase. BerkShares provide a flexible and adaptable tool to meet the needs of differing business.
Change for purchases in BerkShares will be made in BerkShares. Customers paying with federal dollars may ask for BerkShares in change.
By accepting BerkShares merchants are helping to establish markets for locally made products, providing an incentive for the growth of home-based industries and creating opportunities for those underemployed and unemployed to turn latent skills into business ventures.
What do I have to do to accept BerkShares as payment?
Any business or individual may accept BerkShares as payment and then spend them as they choose. You are not required to sign up with BerkShares, Inc. to trade in BerkShares! However, we strongly advise that you do choose to sign up with us and join our business directory for a number of reasons. First, you’ll receive materials that will help you trade in BerkShares, including brochures, information, stickers, and other promotional materials; second, you’ll receive our updates and newsletters, which will keep you informed of the latest BerkShares developments, and third, you’ll receive free listings in our online directory and in any future print or display advertisements or catalogues that feature a list of businesses.
How do BerkShares benefit the local economy?
Everyone benefits from using BerkShares. Consumers benefit from receiving a 5% discount on purchases. Businesses benefit from increased patronage. Local non-profit organizations can also benefit by purchasing BerkShares at the 5% discount rate and selling them at full face value to their supporters.
It will take citizens working in their own communities, region by region, to create the kind of systemic change that will lead to sustainable economic practicespractices that foster ecologically responsible production of goods and a more equitable distribution of wealth. Local currencies are a tool to bring about such change. BerkShares are about building community while building the local economy.
How do I get my business listed to accept BerkShares?
Follow the link to our business sign-up page.
How do I work BerkShares into my accounting?
Click Here for information on BerkShares accounting.
How do I support BerkShares and BerkShares, Inc.?
Buy and spend BerkShares! Use them the same way you would cash in your day-to-day transactions. Trade them for goods and services outside of stores; remember, a local currency is only successful if it is traded and valued locally. If you would like to help support BerkShares, Inc., the non-profit organization comprised of community members dedicated to introducing a viable, strong local currency for the Berkshire region, please consider becoming a member today!
Where can I obtain more information about local currencies?
For further information on local currencies, please visit the local currency section of the E. F. Schumacher Society website at http://www.smallisbeautiful.org/local_currencies.html.
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Pittsboro Penty, Pittsboro, NC – gives 10% discount
Ithaca Hours, http://www.ithacahours.org/
1. Are Ithaca HOURS real money?
Yes. At present, no monetary systems are backed by an actual commodity (such as gold), but instead notes are simply declared to be money by an authority (“fiat money”). In the case of U.S. currency that authority is the national government. In the case of Ithaca HOURS that authority is the board of the corporation.
As such, Ithaca HOURS are taxable, and it is illegal to counterfeit them.
2. What is one HOUR worth?
When the currency was formulated in 1991, the average hourly wage in Tompkins County was $10. So it was decided that one HOUR would represent $10. All portions of an hour are worth equivalent subdivisions of $10. E.g., 1/8 HOUR = $1.25
3. Why is our local currency called an HOUR?
The name HOUR is meant to remind you that, in addition to being a medium of exchange for commodities, currency represents someone’s labor, the time taken to provide a skill or perform a service. Your time is worth something to someone else. When yo ugive someone an HOUR, you are telling them: “I did this much somewhere else. Please give me the equivalent here.”
4. Does this mean that I should never pay more than an HOUR in exchange for an hour of services?
No. Often the cost of providing a service includes much more than the time spent by a single person performing the service. There are other factors (called overhead) that add to the cost per hour. These factors include support staff, rent, equipment, and supplies.
5. Why don’t all member businesses accept 100% HOURS for purchases and services?
Most businesses have economic relationships that extend beyond the local community, where Ithaca HOURS are not accepted. THese businesses must take in U.S. currency to do business with suppliers outside of the HOURS system. We ask merchants to calculate a rate of HOURS acceptance that is proportional with their ability to put them back into the local economy.
6. How can I get HOURS?
1. Offer goods and services in the directory. In exchange for your listing fee you will receive a disbursement of 2 HOURS. Once listed, you may then begin to accept HOURS as a medium of exchange.
2. Each year, when you renew your listing in the directory, you will receive another 2 HOUR disbursement.
3. Become an “HOURS earner” of Ithaca HOURS. If you work for a business that accepts HOURS, you may choose to accept part of your awages in HOURS. Fill out a form here.
4. Exchange U.S. dollars for HOURS at the Autumn Leaves Bookstore on the Commons.
5. Accept HOURS at a yard sale, for household chores, or in other temporary or informal economic arrangements.
7. Who can use HOURS?
Anyone who chooses to do so. Merchants listed in the directory have madea formal commitment to accept and spent HOURS. All customers who patronize merchants in the directory may spend and accept HOURS.
8. How can I become a participant in the Ithaca HOURS system?
1. Any business, organization or individual may submit a listing or listings to the directory. The form is at the back of this volume.
2. Become an HOURS earner and be paid partially in HOURS.
3. Sign up as a supporter of the system.
9. What does participation mean?
You are supporting an innovative, grassroots, community-focused organization
You can apply for an HOURS loan for your business.
You can vote for the Board of Directors.
10. How do new HOURS get into circulation?
1. New HOUR notes are issued as disbursements to those who pay for a listing in the direcotry.
2. New HOUR notes are issued when Ithaca HOURS makes loans to participants or gives small grants to community organizations.
3. A limited number of HOUR notes are issued to help cover basic system expenses, such as printing new currency and office supplies.
11. Who controls the supply of HOURS?
The Circulation Committee of Ithaca HOURS, Inc.
12. What if some of my HOURS get worn out or damaged?
Exchange old notes for new ones at Autumn Leaves Bookstore on the Commons or at Small World Music on 614 West State Street. There are HOURS banks in the stores. You may also mail your HOURS notes to Box 6731, Ithaca, NY 14851, including a self-addresses stamped envelope and an explanation of your requested exchange. We will return the same value in notes in good condition.
